1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to candles, and, in particular, to the retrieval of candle wicks that have become embedded in solidified wax.
2. Description of the Related Art
Wax candles have long been used for both aesthetic and functional purposes. A typical wax candle has two components, wax and a wick. The wax serves as a fuel, while the wick, which usually consists of absorbent twine, absorbs liquid wax and moves the liquid wax upward while the candle is burning, to provide a continuous source of fuel.
Wax candles are often used inside glass, metal, ceramic, or other containers, which can make the candle difficult to reach and to light. After a period of burning, candles are often extinguished and then relit.
As shown in FIG. 1, frequent burning and relighting of a typical candle 100 can cause the ignitable end of a wick 101 to become fully immersed in liquid wax in a circular region 102 surrounding wick 101, after the candle is extinguished. Once the wax in region 102 cools, the wick is lost, i.e., fully embedded in solidified wax. Subsequent relighting of the candle requires retrieving or freeing the captive wick from its surrounding wax.
Losing the wick can sometimes be avoided by swirling, tilting, or agitating the candle after extinguishing the wick, to move the melted wax away from the wick, causing the melted wax to adhere to peripheral areas of the candle. Aside from the risk of burns and potential damage from wayward molten wax, this process also requires the foresight, upon extinguishing a candle, to realize that the wick is likely to become lost once the wax in region 102 hardens.
Once the wick is lost, one way to retrieve the wick prior to relighting the candle is to melt the surrounding wax with a match or lighter to expose the wick, which typically involves turning the candle on its side or upside down, so that the flame contacts the wax in region 102. This process can be difficult or impossible, particularly if the candle is located inside a container that hinders access to region 102, or if region 102 is relatively deep within candle 100, due to a resulting inability to apply sufficient force in the necessary directions to carve wax from region 102. The dripping hot wax and exposed flame make this process dangerous, as well. Moreover, heat, smoke, and soot from the burning wax in region 102 can result in discoloration, cracking, burning, and warping of the container or other holder being used.
An alternative heat-based method for wick retrieval permits keeping the candle upright. In this scenario, an open flame or other heat source is placed near region 102 to soften the wax, while a knife or other tool is used to dig out the wax surrounding the wick. While this reduces the chance of injury from dripping hot wax, the open flame or other heat source still presents a risk of burns. Also disadvantageously, after the wick has been retrieved in this manner, an unattractive and irregular area within region 102 typically results.
To reduce the problems associated with wick retrieval, certain specialized wick-retrieval tools have been developed.
One such wick-retrieval tool, as shown in FIG. 2, is a wax-cutting tool 200 having a handle 201, a shank 202, and a scoop-shaped end 203. The scoop-shaped end 203, which resembles a miniature melon baller, has sharp edges that can cut through unheated solid wax, eliminating the risks of using an adjacent heat source to melt the wax in region 102. To use tool 200, the user holds handle 201 and manually pushes or pulls scoop-shaped end 203 downward, in a generally circular path around wick 101 within region 102, so as to eventually carve a generally circular recess around wick 101. However, the sharp edges of scoop-shaped end 203 pose a risk of cutting both nearby fingers and the wick itself, if the user is not sufficiently careful. Also, just as with heat-based wick retrieval methods, an unattractive and irregular area within region 102 can easily result, depending on the manual dexterity of the user. Moreover, when the scooping process is finished, a pile of wax shavings remains in and near region 102, which requires removal prior to relighting, in addition to wax shavings ending up in the general vicinity of the candle as well. Another disadvantage of tool 200 is that, if region 102 is relatively deep within candle 100, or if candle 100 is located inside a container that hinders access to region 102, then tool 200 becomes difficult or impossible to use due to a resulting inability to apply sufficient force in the necessary directions to carve wax from region 102.
Other wick-retrieval tools are illustrated in U.S. Design Pat. Nos. D511,287 to Lake and D522,326 to Chance et al., both of which show handheld tools that appear to have ends adapted for digging in wax and grasping a candle wick. Each of these tools still appears to require that a heat source be placed near region 102 to soften the wax, while the tool is used to dig out the wax surrounding the wick and to grasp the wick.
Another wick-retrieval tool, which is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,037,104 to Azzinaro et al., is a large pistol-shaped tool resembling a hot-glue gun or soldering iron. The tool has an elongate hollow heated tube, which is heated by a heating source to a temperature sufficient to substantially soften or liquefy candle wax. A working end of the heated elongate hollow tube is inserted into the candle wax around the embedded ignitable end of a wick. The candle and the tool are then inverted, and the wax around the wick flows through the interior of the heated elongate hollow tube and out a draining end of the heated elongate hollow tube, thereby exposing the embedded wick. This tool uses house current and has a power cord that must be plugged into a nearby outlet to power the heating element, thereby limiting the tool's range of use. The user must also wait at least several minutes after plugging in the tool before the elongate hollow tube is sufficiently hot to melt candle wax, and the tool must be kept away from people, pets, and nearby objects during preheating to avoid burns. Additionally, because the user must invert the candle and the tool while using the tool, injury caused by dripping hot wax and the hot heating tube is possible. Moreover, this tool is relatively expensive to produce and is not practical for the average consumer.